Trekking, Day 4: Glimpses of Heaven

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The evening stars sparkled above us like angels peering down down from peepholes on heaven’s floor. The dark looming shadow of Poon Hill towered over us. Flashlights flickered like active fireflies up ahead, from those like us, who were scrambling up the hill in order to watch the sunrise over the fabled Himalayas.

The shuffle of our footsteps and the displacement of rocks were the only sounds that reverberated in the darkness. I stumbled here and there, tripping on rocks and things I couldn’t distinguish nor avoid in the dark until Santi handed me her flashlight.

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The sky continuously evolved into different shades of blue – dark indigo to sparkling sapphire then muted periwinkle in a seamless portrayal of evening, pre-dawn and dawn.

The struggle between the violent storm that erupted in my head and chest and cloaked me in sweat and my stubborn determination to make it to the hill before sunrise was completely worthwhile. It took an an hour and fifteen minutes of clambering up and willing myself not to faint in my breathless state to climb the remaining 1,000 ft, straight to the top. We arrived at the top of Poon Hill only a few minutes shy of the sun’s arrival.

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Glorious beams of light streamed through the cragged ridge of the dark bluish grey mountains which pierced the horizon in the distance. My insatiable love affair began the instant the sun’s rays touched the peak of one of the world’s highest mountains. Dhaulagiri stands at an astounding 27,000 ft. It was once revered as the world”s highest peak until sophisticated instruments and the use of triangulation, deemed it’s rival, Everest, as the highest. Dhaulagiri in all his splendor stood there, magnificently, before me. His mighty snow covered peak glowed under golden light. It was love at first sight. My eyes could not be averted from the scene’s splendor as I stood there and forever committed it to my soul’s memory.

The top of Pooh Hill offered a 360 degree view of the area with Dhaualagiri and the Annapurnas wrapped around my peripheral vision. The grandeur of the Himalayas, magnificently displayed before me. Poon Hill stood at only 10,000 feet, but it felt as though I was standing on the top of the world.

Before descending, a man climbed onto a bench which looked out into the scenery, slipped off his shirt, threw his arms out as though to embrace the scene. I smiled and lifted my camera and captured the moment. His intention was different than how I interpreted it -a reflection of what I felt inside.

I was set free. Completely Liberated. Utterly Sated. Wonderfully Whole!

Oblivious of anyone else around me, I embraced and savored the moment, forever committing to memory

The day I stood on top “MY” world.